News, possible items of interest, and random thoughts on various topics. Thanks for reading and please feel free to drop me a line! :-)

Who Is Mistral Dawn?

Mistral Dawn is a thirty-something gal who has lived on both coasts of the US but somehow never in the middle. She currently resides in the Southeast US with her kitty cats (please spay or neuter! :-)) where she works as a hospital drudge and attends graduate school. Taken By The Huntsman is her first effort at writing fiction and if it is well received she has ideas for several more novels and short-stories in this series. Please feel free to visit her on FaceBook or drop her a line at mistralkdawn@gmail.com

Sunday, June 19, 2016

#Gems Of #Strength #Anthology: #Undeniable #Love By Natasha Madden!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

Now that you've gotten peeks at Combustion, Vanquish, and Childish Things in Gems of Strength, I'd like to show you a little bit of Undeniable Love by Natasha Madden. ;-) I'll let Natasha's publisher, Markie Madden speak for her. Markie, take it away! :-)

Markie:

Natasha Madden’s story is called Undeniable Love. It’s the story of a half-vampire who falls in love with a human woman. Here’s an excerpt:

“His heart clenches before hardening into stone. His blood boils, trying to burn through his skin. His vision turns red and he fists his hands. He has to focus on Myra to keep from losing control. If he rushes in, they’ll kill her. Instead, he calmly walks out and asks, “What are you doing?”

The bald guy smirks before saying, “What does it look like? Catching a snack.” Jamie grits his teeth, flexing his jaw. “Aw, did we steal your girl? Well, you should keep better track of your pets. You should also collar them, to let others know who they belong to.” He finishes, moving behind Jamal. They trade places so smoothly that Jamie can’t do anything to separate Myra from her captors.

“Go on. I’ll handle him.” Dreadlocks says, blocking Jamie’s way.

Baldy waves, “See ya, Romeo.” He walks away, dragging Myra with him. She’s struggling, her long legs lashing out, her arms pounding anything she can reach. She’s not wildly attacking though. Her moves are very calculated, targeting soft, tender spots trying to loosen the vise grip on her waist. Jamie can’t keep his eyes on her any longer, needing to focus on his opponent. Something about this guy tells Jamie that he’s very old, but the way he’s standing is curious. Before he can observe anymore, Dreads swipes at him testing the water. Jamie easily dodges, responding with a round house kick. Dreads should have been able to block it, but he didn’t raise his arm up enough and the kick catches him in the jaw.

“Aha! It seems like you’re an experienced fighter, maybe too experienced. It looks like you’ve had a fracture from your former life that was never set right. I wondered why Baldy was the boss when you’re obviously older. It’s because he was born, whereas you were Turned.” Jamie announces, leveling a stare at the vampire.

“Doesn’t matter. I’m still stronger than a half-er.” Dreads bares his teeth. Jamie rushes in before Dreads can blink, crushing his right lung. Wheezing, he responds, swiping at Jamie’s face. Jamie drops, kicking his leg out and making contact with Dreads kneecap. With a satisfying crunch, Dreads falls, now crippled.

“You should not underestimate an opponent you know nothing about.” Jamie says.”

Natasha's Bio

Natasha Madden was born May 23, 1995, in Flint, Michigan. She was taught a love of animals from a young age. When she was eight years old, her family moved to Odessa, Texas. She wrote her first book when she was in the fifth grade, The Guardians, a book she is currently in the process of rewriting. When she was sixteen, her family moved to a small farming community in southeast Missouri. She graduated in 2013 from Twin Rivers High School in Broseley, Missouri. She still lives there with her family, three dogs, a cat, two gerbils, and a horse. She’s working with Metamorph Publishing in order to get her first novel published.